Reality and Dreams
by Alantie Mistaniu
Summary: What is dream? What is reality? Maybe they can find out together. A collection of Adrian/Sydney stories.
1. Air

AN: My first attempt at writing for the Vampire Academy/Bloodlines universe, so I'm not sure how well I've done. Admittedly at first I was not crazy about the idea of the Adrian/Sydney pairing but after reading Bloodlines and seeing how they interact I totally fell in love with them. So being me, I had to find a writing outlet for it. Ideally this will be 50 stories, though considering my track record. . . we will see. Enjoy!

**Air**

"Sage, it's a wonder you're still alive."

Her golden brown eyes lifted from the page she was reading, her voice dry as she addressed the dark haired young man who had strolled in silently, very unlike him. "Unlike some people who only read when there's nothing else to do, some of us actually enjoy it."

Snorting, he dropped casually into the chair across the table from her. "I can enjoy a book, but you can't seriously tell me you're reading this. . . this _tome_ for pleasure," he objected, jabbing a finger at the yellowed page she had been examining, seeming not to notice Sydney's wince at his casual treatment of a relic. "You spend hours reading this stuff for that teacher of yours- you barely see the sun. It's a wonder you're not in the same condition as this book. Now really, who's acting like a vampire here?"

Her eyebrows shot up, bristling. "Excuse me?" she demanded, an icy note in her voice, her fingers reaching up to touch the golden cross around her neck as if to ward off his words.

Adrian held up his hands. "Whoa, simmer down. But you got to admit, your aversion to sunlight is going to make others draw the same conclusions." When her stony expression didn't change, he sighed, leaning across the table to take one of her hands in his. "Come on, the air in here is stale; it's springtime for hell sakes. Come out and enjoy it. Jill and Eddie are waiting for us."

For a moment, Sydney was ready to tell him no, to go back to her work and be the responsible, predictable young woman she had always been. But something in his pleading expression made her pause, and she uneasily wondered what it was about that look that made her resolve crumble.

"You can't even stay long in the sun," she protested halfheartedly. "What's the point?"

"Well, that's the beauty of you being so engrossed in your reading, Sage. You've been here so long it's evening now. No sunshine to worry about."

She followed the direction of his gesture to the window, surprised to find that he was right; dusk had fallen while she had been reading and jotting down her painstaking notes. Glancing back at Adrian, she couldn't help but smile slightly at the knowing grin on his face.

"See? No worries, I'm not going to burst into dust and scare the peasants." He rose smoothly, his fingers running through his messy hair as he gazed down at her. "Coming before you become a relic, Sage?"

Rolling her eyes at his remark, she nonetheless closed the book with a snap, gathering her papers and putting them in her bag. "Fine although I really don't see the point."

Pushing back her chair, she moved to stand when he was suddenly at her side, taking her bag and slinging it effortlessly over his shoulder, his free hand curving around her elbow. She blinked up at him, startled at his sudden proximity, the breath in her lungs freezing as she found that charming grin focused on her.

"Sage, why does there always have to be a point? Just go with it."

Easy to say, harder to do. Life for her was about planning and executing things in an orderly fashion – she didn't know how to live the way he did. Somehow though, she suspected he would be all too eager to help her out with that. Adrian's eyes were unusually serious as he peered down at her, though the lazy grin remained as his fingers slid down the length of her arm, making her skin tingle before his hand wrapped securely around hers and he tugged her towards the doors.

He pushed them open, and a warm evening breeze fluttered through her hair. Her hand tightened around Adrian's, but she let him pull her out of the library and into the gathering dusk.


	2. Earth

AN: Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed. :) I truly appreciate the feedback, and I'm glad you're enjoying it so far. Here's the second one!

**Earth**

"I thought those hands didn't do manual labor," Sydney said dryly, dropping the bag of potting soil she'd been carrying on the kitchen counter with a thump before turning back to stare at him, her hands on her hips. She had thought for certain she had misunderstood when he had called and asked her to bring a bag of gardening soil; there were many things she could see Adrian Ivashkov doing, but planting a garden was not one of them.

"They don't," Adrian responded, gesturing to the ceramic pots and the seeds waiting to be planted. "This is research, Sage." For a moment she wasn't sure she heard him right. Her face must have betrayed her confusion because he sighed dramatically. "I thought you of all people would recognize science when you see it."

Her brow furrowing in a frown, she watched him tear open the bag and pull one of the pots closer to fill it. "I thought you were supposed to be researching ways to use Spirit to save people from becoming Strigoi, not growing plants."

"Hey, don't knock the plant growing. It's therapeutic. Besides, it's better to start with them than humans. Less mistakes that way."

"I'll take your word for it." Sydney shuddered inwardly at the mention of his unnatural powers, taking a step backward. "I'll leave you to it then. Have fun."

Adrian looked up at her, shrugging. "Suit yourself. Miss out on all the great discoveries I'm going to make while you run off to hide."

Her lips thinned, eyes flaring as she glared at him. "I'm _not_ running," she said stiffly.

"Sure you are," he retorted, though his attention was on the seeds he was pressing into the soil carefully, strangely focused for someone with such a short attention span. "Call it whatever you want- a phobia, paranoia, religious fanaticism – it all boils down to the fact that you can't bear to be around it even when it's being used for a good purpose."

"There is no good purpose for magic," Sydney snapped back. Not even that warm embrace of his magic she had felt oh so briefly, that warmth something she'd found her mind returning to frequently.

He glanced up at her briefly, and for a moment she was struck by what a role reversal this was; him the calm one for once. "Could have fooled me," he said wryly, tapping his cheek, and she flushed, her hand flying to her own cheek to hide the golden lily. It was easy to forget sometimes that the power in her tattoo was vampire magic, always present, always with her. When he put it that way, it made her feel even more foolish than ever, but she couldn't admit to it. Not to him. Not to anyone.

He looked back down at his work, moving onto another of the orange pots. "Or is that a 'necessary evil' thing again?" Her eyes glared daggers at him, but if Adrian noticed he didn't remark on it. "Say what you want Sage, but I figured you'd be scientist enough to know that it's not magic that's evil, it's a tool. The problem isn't with the tool, it's with the psychopath who could be wielding it."

Damn him for saying something that for once made perfect sense, though she refused to let any hint of that show on her face, watching in silence as he finished , dusting the dirt from his palms exhaling before reaching out to the first pot. He glanced up at her, his lips curving into a small, mischievous smile. "Hey Sage. Let's make a deal."

Immediately Sydney was on her guard. Against her better judgment, she found herself asking cautiously, "What kind of deal?"

Picking up a small watering can, he sprinkled a light spray over the soil, his voice easy but with an edge of caution, as if he wasn't sure how she was going to respond. "Don't worry, it's nothing inappropriate- though if you want it to be-" His words were cut off as he ducked to avoid being hit by the roll of paper towels she flung at him. He straightened from behind the counter, an amused smirk on his face, though his voice was serious as he continued. "As I was saying before you so rudely interrupted, if you promise to at least try to behave whenever something magical is going on, I promise to stop smoking when you're around."

Her eyebrows shot up. "That's a pretty major deal you're offering, Ivashkov," she said casually, brow wrinkling as she puzzled it over. He'd picked a pretty good bargaining chip, she had to give him that. She didn't care that he smoked - well, all right, that was a lie, she cared that he was going to kill lungs- but she hated having to breathe it when he was doing it around her. She was impressed that he had noticed. But still, she wasn't sure why he was making this offer.

"Why?"

His bright green eyes lifted from the dirt to examine her for a moment. "Oh, I don't know Sage. Call it a whim, a fancy of my science inspired mind to discover what the outcome of this experiment will be." Sydney frowned, and he sighed, gesturing towards an empty stool near the counter that she reluctantly took, her posture stiff, hands tightly clenched in her lap. "All right. You want it straight? I'd feel better if you hated my drinking, my poor work ethic, lack of morals, or the partying and smoking. Those are things I can change, things I can work on. It's very unflattering to know someone hates a part of you that you can't do anything to change."

Any banter she had been ready to fling back at him died on her tongue and she flushed, unable to say anything. Again, shallow party boy Adrian Ivashkov had shown her there was more depth to him than she had previously thought. Was there ever going to be a time when he didn't surprise her?

Sighing, she pushed her blond hair back, shifting uneasily on her stool as she watched him, her voice low. "I can't promise to change that all at once. It may seem silly and unreasonable to you, but a lifelong fear teaching of magic being unnatural and wrong isn't easy to break. "

"And you think years of nicotine addiction is? I can't imagine the withdrawals I'm going to go through, and all for you. But you're worth it, Sage."

Again, there was that strange flip-flopping of her stomach at that grin, that strangely intense gaze focused on her. . . she had to look away. "I'll send you a Nicorette care package," she managed at last, earning a low chuckle from him. "If you can make an effort, then I guess I can too."

"Sounds good," he said casually, though when she summoned her poise enough to look back up at him again, his grin had widened, apparently pleased that he'd succeeded in winning her agreement, no matter how reluctantly she gave it. "Want to give it a test run?"

Adrian had placed his hands around the rim of the terra cotta pot, his fingertips resting on the damp earth as he watched her closely. Though her instincts and fears were shaking her common sense, she forced herself to nod, though her own fingers gripped the edge of the countertop so tightly her knuckles were white. Despite her unease, the scientist in her couldn't help but be intrigued as he drew in breath, his grip tightening ever so slightly, and she could feel the slightest push of power, a sixth sense that something was happening more than seeing it. She felt the hair on the nape of her neck stand on end, the stirring of her panic looming over everything like a dark shadow, but all of Adrian's attention was focused on the bit of earth between his hands, watching, waiting. Almost before she had time to process what she was seeing, a pale green shoot poked out of the dirt, unfurling and growing rapidly. Her breath caught in her throat, wonder struck as it matured rapidly, leaves unfurling, buds sprouting, and for a brief moment she locked gazes with Adrian, just before the cream colored petals opened in the star shape of a lily.

His serious expression smoothed into his normal one of casual mischievousness. "Not bad for something unnatural, eh?" he taunted with a grin, pushing the pot toward her. "Keep it- I've got plenty to experiment with here."

Though part of her was tempted to shove it back at him, Sydney felt herself reaching for it, her fingers reaching out to brush a white petal. It was still warm, her skin tingling at the contact, though whether it was residue magic or from something else, she didn't know.


	3. Candles

AN: Wow! Once again, thanks a million to all of you who reviewed. I wish I had time to respond to each of you individually, but it's been crazy busy. Just know that I appreciate each and every one of you, and I'm really happy you're enjoying these fics so far. I hope you'll all enjoy this one!

**Candles**

"Well. This is awkward."

"You think?" Sydney responded to Adrian dryly, her dark gaze watching the table adjacent to theirs, as was Eddie's, though his expression was more pained.

Micah seemed oblivious to the three sets of eyes on him, though Jill seemed all too uncomfortably aware of her chaperones. She hadn't seemed very eager to accept his invitation to a casual dinner- Sydney was no expert on dating, but even she wasn't dumb enough to think a restaurant with candlelit tables and linen napkins was a casual just friends type of place. Whether her reluctance was because of the recent tragedy involving Lee or something else entirely, Jill being Jill was too nice to turn him down, though she'd warned him her 'siblings' wouldn't let her go un-chaperoned, though by now Micah was well aware of how closely the older three siblings watched out for their little sister.

So here they were: Jill and Micah at one table, and Adrian, Sydney, and Eddie at the other. Though by the way his body was angled toward Jill, Eddie might as well have been sitting over right in between the couple since he hadn't taken his eyes off them the entire night. Adrian had done his whole protective big brother routine, but it was clear Eddie was beginning to regret his claims that it was better for Jill to be with Micah.

While it was excruciatingly painful to watch, it was also incredibly boring, and even though she liked to think she possessed a much longer attention span than Adrian, Sydney was quickly becoming impatient for the dinner to end. "I'm not sure who's having a harder time with this- them, or us," she murmured in undertone lifted a hand to run it through her hair, remembering just in time that she had pinned it back, letting it drop back to the table with a sigh.

"I think him," Adrian answered in undertone, nodding toward Eddie who seemed ignorant of their conversation. "Though I'm not far behind. This is boring." He leaned back in his seat, green gaze shifted from Jill to her, and he gave her a slight smile. "You do clean up good though, Sage."

She hoped the restaurant's dim lighting would hide the heat she could feel rising in her cheeks; it was true she usually made an effort to dress well, but she'd taken special care tonight once she had learned what type of place Micah was planning. A restaurant like this required something formal, even more so than her usual attire, a delicate buttery yellow dress, conservative yet elegant, paired with a pair of simple heels. She hadn't expected anyone to notice or appreciate, and though she wouldn't admit it, it was a nice change to have someone notice and vocalize their approval. It was especially nice when that someone was incredibly beautiful themselves- evil creature of the night or not.

Somehow she managed to keep her voice normal as responded, "You're not too bad yourself." An understatement; he was a work of art as usual in his deep burgundy silk shirt and black dress pants, not that she would ever admit that to him and further boost his over inflated ego.

He grinned at her slightly, obviously amused. "Not too bad, eh? Not the most eloquent description, but don't worry I won't hold it against you. It's not easy to think of a description when dazzled by perfection."

Sydney didn't bother to hide rolling her eyes, shaking her head though a small smile twitched her lips. It had once annoyed her, but his flippant remarks and snark were growing on her. Her smile dimmed a little as she found herself staring again at Eddie who was still gazing at Jill with single-minded focus. It wasn't right; he might be willing to sacrifice his own happiness, but it wasn't right that Jill shouldn't know, she should have the right to decide if she wanted to be with him. She had the right to make the same decision he was.

As if catching her thoughts, Adrian shook his head slightly, his voice low as he leaned forward across the table. "Let it be, Sage."

"Let what be?" She turned to glance at him, irritated at being interrupted from her musings but froze at the intensity of his bright emerald gaze, highlighted by the flickering light from the candles on their table.

"I know how you are- you like to fix things. You keep things neat and orderly, you always think you can do something to make a situation better." Adrian paused, giving her time to let that sink in before continuing. "It's not a bad thing; I actually think it's quite admirable, but this isn't something you can fix."

Her brow furrowed, and she was unable to keep from protesting though she matched his volume to avoid drawing Eddie's attention. "I can't sit here and watch him wallow in misery," she objected. "It's not fair." He stared at her for a long moment, his expression almost pitying, old pain and bitterness tingeing his voice when he responded. "Unfortunately, love isn't necessarily fair."

She flinched as if he had slapped her, remembering too late the phantom of Rose still hovering over him even now. She might not be physically present, but she was still affecting him, still tearing him apart even now. It was a harsh truth; she had no idea what kind of sacrifices that love could bring about. In that respect, Sydney knew she was incredibly naïve.

"Sorry," she murmured, looking away uncomfortably. "I didn't mean-"

"I know," he cut her off, an edge to his voice the only hint of the lingering grief that her words had triggered. "Not your fault, Sage. You. . . you're so pure. Love is straightforward and simple for you; you don't really understand how complicated or tragic it can be." He gave her a rueful grin. "Frankly, I hope you never do."

Frowning, she shook her head slightly, not sure whether to be hurt or offended. "What do you mean by that?"

"Hell, Sydney, isn't it obvious?" he retorted, exasperated.

Her dark eyes flashed with annoyance, ignoring the odd thrill she got out of hearing her first name on his lips. "Here we go again with the same old tired excuse- Sydney Sage, the untouchable pure soul who can't possibly understand what it's like to suffer at all."

Adrian returned her glare, exhaling in frustration. "That's not what I meant, and you know it. I know you know what suffering and pain is- I don't know what you've gone through in your life Sage, and I'm not going to make you tell me unless you want to. All I meant was that I don't want to see you end up heartbroken – no one deserves that." His exasperated expression had faded, gaze still intent and direct though. "Especially you."

"Oh." Again with the strange heady feeling, the fluttering in her stomach, her eyes flicking away from his to the candle, watching a bead of wax slide down slowly as she fought to remember how they'd gotten on this subject to begin with. "I still don't think all this is ok. I don't watching this without being able to do anything."

"Then don't," he suggested. "Watch something else. Feel free to watch me – I've been told it's a good view."

"Adrian!"

He blinked at her innocently in the flickering light, a mischievous glint in his eye. "What?"

"You know what," she responded, bordering on the edge of annoyance and amusement though she refused to be derailed. "You can't honestly tell me you don't want to do something to fix this."

"Doesn't work that way. If it's meant to be, then no amount of meddling or interference will do anything to help speed it up or hinder it."

Sydney felt her eyebrows shoot up. "You're not telling me that you believe in fate, are you?"

"After everything that's happened, with meeting Lissa, meeting Rose, I'd be a real idiot not to," he said simply. "Give it a rest; I'm sure things will work out eventually." She sighed, and he looked at her, amused. "What, don't believe in fate, Sage?"

"I believe in making things happen," she answered without hesitation. "I don't believe in waiting around for fate to happen."

"Huh. Interesting." He didn't sound terribly surprised by her declaration, but she was beginning to realize it was hard to tell sometimes what emotions really went on behind those green eyes. "Well. Who knows, maybe you're right. Maybe I'm the one whose crazy – hell, it's not like we don't know I'm going that way eventually." He fingered his empty wine glass, looking longingly at the bottle a waiter carried by but made no move to get his glass filled.

"But you still think we need to stay out of it." It wasn't a question, she knew he hadn't changed his opinion.

"Yeah, I do. I can barely manage my own life, no way in a million years am I going to try to take charge of theirs."

Sydney smiled a little. "I don't know. You've come a long way."

"Only with your expert help, my dear Alchemist. Whatever would I do without you to kick my ass into gear?"

"Crash and burn?" she offered.

"Probably," he agreed seriously.


End file.
